Compelling Minds, Compelling Hearts
by Sassytore
Summary: post-s6e2 fic. DE. Elena had Alaric compel her love for Damon away, but her friends are struggling with the lie. Some are determined to get Damon and Bonnie back, other's are more worried about survival. Elena's struggling with her own dilemma-why is she having dreams about the bad brother? Soon they'll find that you may be able to compel a mind, but you can't compel a heart.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Takes place post season 6, episode 2. Does not follow episode 3 (and I highly doubt any other episodes of this season.) Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"Fine, then I'm not sorry either. I'm not sorry that I met you. I'm not sorry that knowing you has made me question<em> everything_, that in death, you're the one that's made me feel most alive. You've been a terrible person; you've made all the wrong choices and out of all the choices I've made, this will prove to be the worst, but I'm not sorry that I'm in love you. I love you, Damon," Elena's voice grew quieter as Damon dawned on her, his strides long and sure. "I love you," she finished softly. Damon was on her within seconds. His lips melded with hers perfectly and she kissed him back with an electric fervor. Elena's body hummed for Damon as his lips gave her his promise of an eternity of freedom. _

Elena jolted up in her bed, tightening her grip on her blue sheets. Her brow was painted with sweat and her chest was heaving from her erratic breath. Her eyes adjusted to the minimal lighting and she instantly recognized the familiarity of her dorm room. Elena took a deep breath to calm herself and buried her face in her hands, replaying the unsettling dream in her mind. Damon had kissed her, which wasn't a surprise, but the fact that she kissed him back, enjoyed it, and told him that she loved him surprised her. Elena ran her fingers through her tangled brown hair and heaved a sigh.

"What the hell was that?" she whispered.

* * *

><p>"So, you're telling me that you're ready to pick up mission 'find and save Damon and Bonnie' again?" Alaric asked, walking to the lecture hall where his next Occult studies class would be held.<p>

"Yeah, I am," Stefan responded. Ric tightened his grip on his phone.

"No offense, but the last time I talked to you, you were pretty adamant on giving up. What happened?"

"Let's just say I've had a forced change of heart," Stefan paused. "Enzo's doing." Ric raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Enzo?"

"Yeah, key word 'forced,'" Stefan said. "His method was terrible, but he was right about one thing. Damon's my brother; I can't give up on him."

Alaric sighed and let a small smile spread across his cheeks. He opened the door to the lecture hall and went to the desk, placing his briefcase on it and beginning to set up for class.

"Well, I'm glad you came to your senses," Ric said.

"Do you have any leads I can check out?" Stefan asked, getting to the point of the phone call. Ric finished setting up his PowerPoint and slumped down on the seat behind his desk, kicking his feet up.

"Honestly, no. I stopped tracking them the moment you told us that you stopped. Caroline and Enzo picked up the lead, but I'll look around and let you know what I find," Ric responded.

"Thanks," Stefan said. A sudden silence fell between the two. The next time Stefan spoke, his voice came out soft and hesitantly, "How is she?"

Ric sighed and toyed with his phone at the conversation change to such a sensitive subject.

"She's…good actually, better than she's been since…"

"Damon died," Stefan finished Alaric's sentence. Ric nodded, even though Stefan couldn't see him. "Well, that's good, I guess," Stefan paused. "And how are you doing?"

Alaric was temporarily taken aback by the question. Everyone had been constantly asking about Elena's mental health after the compelling that they hadn't even thought about the toll it took on Alaric.

"I'm...honestly not doing that great," Ric admitted. His eyes scanned the empty classroom. "Damon was my best friend, and Elena, she's like a daughter to me. Their love is—was—the ultimate source of their happiness. Compelling that away was…" Alaric's voice died out and he squeezed his eyes shut at the nostalgia. He saw so many intense moments between Damon and Elena—he witnessed them fall in love; he experienced her love and her loss. "You should've seen the way she clung onto the memory of him, Stefan. Sometimes I—I worry that compelling her was the wrong choice."

"It wasn't," Stefan interjected confidently. "She was miserable; it was the best thing for her."

"Was it?" Ric asked. "I always taught Elena that she should never run away from her problems, and now…I helped her do exactly that. She was miserable, yes, but no one can outrun grief. Maybe it would've just been better if she confronted it and moved on all by herself."

"No, Ric," Stefan assured, "it wasn't just that she was miserable, it was that her misery made her dangerous."

Ric sighed. He knew that Stefan was right. Elena's grief for Damon took her to new levels of darkness. She couldn't control her appetite anymore—she was a risk to humans and vampires alike. It needed to be stopped—_Elena_ needed to be stopped. Everything that Alaric did for Elena was in her best interest and with her consent. He just wished that he didn't have to do any of it in the first place—he wished that his best friend was here, with them, instead of lost in oblivion. Alaric cleared his throat and forced down tears that he refused to let break through. He wasn't a crier, no matter how much pain he endured, he rarely cried about it.

"Well, I'll let you know if I find anything. Thanks for calling, Stefan. Take care of yourself," Ric pulled the phone away from his ear.

"Wait, Ric," Stefan said hurriedly. Ric raised the phone back up to his ear.

"Yeah?"

"I, um, I was just curious…when did Elena—?" Stefan stopped before he could finish the question. He was unsure if he actually wanted to hear the answer. Alaric, on the other hand, immediately caught onto his inquiry and answered anyway.

"Elena's eighteenth birthday when he gave her her present. It was the necklace that you gave her," Alaric paused, the memory replaying in his mind. Stefan was completely silent on the other end, fighting his internal war—he was supposed to be over Elena, but this new revelation elicited feelings of jealousy and pain that stung him at his core. Alaric continued: "She said that it was the most selfless thing he'd ever done and in that moment, she loved him. She didn't want to, but she did."

Stefan was silent for a little while, letting Alaric's words sink in before sighing and speaking.

"Thanks, Ric. Keep me posted."

"Will do," Ric said. He pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up, leaning back in his seat and squeezing his eyes shut. This whole situation was harder than he thought it'd be—just being around Elena was hard, knowing that she didn't know about her love for Damon, but Alaric did. And it was times like these when Alaric wished that he could compel the memory of Damon away from his own mind.

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><p>Damon flipped two pancakes off the frying pan and onto a waiting plate. He took a large swig of bourbon; it burned his throat as it traveled down to his stomach, but he didn't care. The burning reminded him that he was alive…well, maybe.<p>

Damon chuckled at his thoughts and shook his hips to the classic 80s rock blasting from the speakers. Just then, Bonnie strolled into the kitchen and plopped down on a stool across from him. Damon picked up the plate of pancakes and placed it in front of her, simultaneously tossing back another swig of bourbon. Bonnie narrowed her eyes at the plate.

"Do you know how to cook anything else?" she asked sarcastically.

"Just be happy I'm cooking at all," Damon responded.

"I'm so sick of pancakes," Bonnie complained, eyeing the unappetizing food.

"Yeah well, I'll stop cooking you pancakes when you get me out of this hell-hole and back into the loving arms of my girlfriend," Damon said, flashing Bonnie a sarcastic smirk before taking another swig from the bottle of bourbon.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at him. Damon still annoyed her beyond belief, but honestly, she was glad that he was here with her. She wasn't sure she could deal with all of this alone. Damon and Bonnie had gotten closer during their time in the afterlife (?). They didn't actually know if where, or rather, when they were was the afterlife, but that's what they decided to call it.

"You know if I could get us out of here, I would," Bonnie said sincerely. Damon sauntered over to her side of the counter and sat next to her.

"I know," Damon responded, "but there is still something that we have yet to figure out."

"The crossword," Bonnie said. She looked down at the plate of pancakes and brushed it aside with her elbow, picking up the newspaper. "Or rather, who completed it?" Damon and Bonnie jointly examined the crossword. Since it was a new day, it was blank, but still, they stared at it as if they were expecting it to just fill-in all by itself. After a little while, Bonnie put the paper back on the counter in defeat. "Do you have any idea who—?"

"No," Damon interrupted, "but that's the first thing on my 'to-do' list, and you're joining me."

Bonnie nodded in agreement. She and Damon were a team now—whatever they needed to do to get out of here, they did together.

"Any idea where we start?" Bonnie asked. The moment the words fell from her lips, a loud _bang_ sounded from upstairs. Bonnie jumped at the sound and turned to Damon with wide eyes. Damon's eyes drifted up to the ceiling and a smug smirk tugged at his lips. He pointed upstairs and turned his gaze back to Bonnie.

"Oh, I can think of one place."

* * *

><p>Elena strutted over to the window. She grabbed the blinds and yanked them apart, allowing for a plethora of light to flood the dorm room. A disappointed groan sounded from a heap of blankets on the bed and Elena chuckled. Caroline snuck into the dorm room last night and spent the night.<p>

"Wakey-wakey sleepy head," Elena sing-songed. "It's a new day: the sun is shining, hot half-naked guys are strollin' the campus, and there are at least six Jell-O shots with our names on them."

"What's got you so cheery?" Caroline grumbled, pushing her body up and leaning against the headboard of her old bed.

"I'm just feeling good today," Elena said, shrugging. She walked over and sat on the corner of Caroline's bed. "C'mon, join me in my joy." Elena tugged on the comforter.

Caroline smiled at her friend and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Elena's neck and pulling her into a hug. Elena returned the hug and fell backwards, causing for both Caroline and Elena to fall to the floor with a heap of pillows and blankets. The girls giggled uncontrollably, but Caroline stopped suddenly, feeling the ever-dominating absence of their other best friend.

"I miss Bonnie," Caroline mumbled against Elena's hair. Elena's shoulders dropped at Caroline's sudden change in attitude.

"Me too," Elena whispered, pulling away from her friend. "I talked to Jer earlier today."

"How's he doing?" Caroline asked. Elena knitted her brow and shook her head.

"Not good," Elena sighed. "Bonnie's death hurt all of us. She was our best friend, but to Jeremy, she was the woman he loved. I mean, that grief must be…" Elena shuddered at the thought, "I can't even imagine how painful it must be to lose the person you're in love with."

Caroline's eyes dropped to the floor—she hated having to bite her tongue while around Elena.

Elena, on the other hand, was lost in her own little world—her dream from last night was replaying in her mind. Why did she dream about confessing her love to Damon? Why did she let him kiss her? Why did she kiss him back? Why did she like it?

Elena was so lost in her reverie that she almost didn't notice the look Caroline was giving her. Elena's eyes darted to Caroline's. Caroline was watching Elena with that 'I-know-you're-hiding-something-now-spill-it' look. Elena sighed and gave in.

"I had the weirdest dream last night," Elena said, leaning back against the bed.

"About?"

"Damon," Elena said. If Caroline had a beating heart, she could swear that it would've stopped at Elena's response. Caroline gulped and forced a smile.

"Damon?" Caroline let out a fake laugh. "Was it kinky?" Elena gasped and slapped Caroline on the shoulder.

"No!" Elena squealed. She leaned forward. "I gave him this little speech about how he had changed my life for the better, and then—get this—I told him that I _loved_ him." Elena's voice lowered to a whisper as though she were telling some naughty secret.

Caroline wracked her mind for a response. H_ow would the old, ignorant Caroline respond to this?_ Caroline thought. She worried her bottom lip before finally coming up with an answer.

"Jeez Elena, I mean, I get having sex dreams about Damon because seriously, who wouldn't? But, love-dreams," Caroline faked another laugh, "that's just…ridiculous."

"Yeah, either that, or I'm subconsciously in love with him," Elena said, completely dead-panned. Caroline's eyes widened and she held her breath. _Did she really just—? Is it possible that—?_ Caroline wondered, but then Elena broke into a fit of laughter. Caroline watched Elena confusedly for a second before joining in on Elena's laughter. "Yeah right! In what universe?!" Elena stood up, still laughing. She walked over to the closet.

"Haha, haha, yeah, crazy," Caroline responded, but her gut churned. Elena grabbed a blue dress from the closet and threw it to Caroline whom caught it mid-air.

"Get dressed, we're going out," Elena said. Caroline stood up and walked to the full-length mirror, holding the dress up to her body.

"I can't," Caroline said. Elena raised her eyebrows at her.

"Why not?"

"I'm going out with Enzo," Caroline stated. Elena sauntered over to her friend with a wicked smirk playing on her cheeks. She knew that Caroline and Enzo had gotten closer over the past couple days, she just didn't think they'd gotten _that_ close.

"Ooooh, Enzo," Elena teased. Caroline rolled her eyes.

"Not like that!" Caroline snipped.

"Mhm," Elena said disbelievingly. She strolled back to the closet and began flipping through her dresses. Elena wasn't going to give up her Saturday just because Caroline had other plans. She finally settled on a short, flowery, white sundress. She turned back to Caroline and gave her a flirty wink. "Have fuuuuun."

"Oh God, Elena, ew!" Caroline exclaimed before marching into the bathroom with determination.

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><p>"So, what's the newest lead?" Caroline asked, leaning back in the passenger seat of Enzo's new car. It was an old black convertible—very emblematic of his personality. Now that Enzo was back to reality, he decided to get a car and relearn driving. After all, he hadn't practiced much at all over the last seventy years.<p>

"You're an eager one, aren't you?" Enzo purred. Caroline rolled her eyes and Enzo sighed. He reached over and grabbed a file, handing it to Caroline. She took it and began flipping through the pages.

"So what? We have to find some freakish witch cult and make them preform a séance?" Caroline asked. Enzo raised one eyebrow at her and flashed her a teasing smirk.

"You really don't read into things, do you? How did you pass any of your literature classes?" Enzo joked sarcastically. Caroline pursed her lips at him.

"Remind me again why I agreed to do this with you?"

"It's my stunning jawline, darling. It's irresistible."

"Mmm, no, that's _definitely_ not it," Caroline said, turning her nose up in the air in contemplation.

"Denial doesn't look flattering on you, love," Enzo said, turning to face her and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ugh, you're infuriating," Caroline grunted. She threw the file in the backseat and turned back to him. "What's this next lead?"

"Well, I've been thinking—we've been so focused on international witchies and all their knowledge that we've forsaken a very crucial group," Enzo said. Caroline leaned forward, waiting for him to finish. He flashed her a smug smile. "That of the national sort."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. She looked up and noticed a sign pass them on the highway. It read: _Mystic Falls Airport—30 Miles._

"Where are we going?" Caroline inquired. Enzo leaned over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out two pieces of paper. He handed them to Caroline and turned his gaze back to the open highway. Caroline looked down at the pieces of paper and her breath hitched in her throat as she discovered what they were.

In her hand, Caroline held two tickets to New Orleans.

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><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed. Lemme know what you thought of the first chapter and leave a review. Thanks for reading! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

Elena eyed herself in the full-length mirror. Yeah, she looked good—her wavy brown hair and long tan legs were perfectly accentuated by her white sun dress.

She brushed down the skirt and smiled at herself in the mirror before walking over to the sink. She filled a glass with water and raised it to her lips, but before she could take a sip, a sudden vision flashed behind her eyelids. She closed her eyes as the vision consumed all her senses.

_"You know what? No. If I'm going to feel guilty about anything, I'm going to feel guilty about this." Damon marched up the steps of the front porch and pulled Elena into a kiss. Elena's body sizzled as his lips cushioned hers. She wrapped her small hand around his wrist and let herself melt in the kiss, reveling in the feeling of his lips. _

The loud sound of shattering glass pulled Elena back to reality. She looked down to find that she crushed the cup of water—her palm was red and bloody. Elena slowly opened her hand and let the glass pieces fall to the floor. She leaned against the sink, breathing heavily. She replayed the scene in her mind.

She remembered that evening, but the vision challenged her memory of it—she remembered Damon kissing her that night, but she pulled away and told him that his display of affection was inappropriate. But in her vision…she kissed him back and it felt so _real_ and so_ right_. Suddenly, Elena felt an overwhelming amount of dread and emptiness hit her, like something major was missing from her life.

Elena shook her head to clear her mind. She could deal with having weird, unexplainable dreams about the psychotic vampire that is Damon Salvatore, but this wasn't a dream. No, this was way more concrete.

Elena sighed and pulled out her phone, scrolling through the contacts until she found the person she wanted to call. She clicked the call button and raised the phone to her ear. It rang nine times before he picked up.

"Hey," Stefan said.

"Hey," Elena responded, walking over to the bed and sitting down on it. "What are you doing tonight?"

"I'm busy," Stefan said.

"Wrong answer," Elena responded, twirling a piece of her hair around her pointer finger. "You're going to the party at the swimming hole with me."

"Elena…" Stefan said hesitantly.

"No, Stefan," Elena spoke with complete sincerity. "It's been four months since I've seen you. That's way too long," Elena paused and inhaled deeply. "I can't lose another friend to grief."

There was a long silence on the other end as Stefan pondered Elena's words. Could he really spend some casual fun time with his ex-girlfriend while he knows their past and she doesn't? Eventually, he sighed and gave in.

"Agh, fine," Stefan said. Elena perked up and smiled widely at his response.

"Great! Great!" Elena beamed. "So, I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in about twenty," Stefan said. Elena practically squealed from joy and excitement—she missed Stefan.

"Awesome!" Elena exclaimed. She pulled the phone away from her ear and hung up. She placed her phone on her bed and stood up, walking over to her desk. She pulled out her desk chair, but before she could sit down, another vision consumed her senses.

_"Mad can wait. Sit," Elena demanded, pushing Damon down to the chair. He fell on it with a _thump_ and Elena quickly straddled his lap, pulling his mouth to hers. She kissed him deeply and began grinding her hips on his—desperate for any let up of tension. She broke from his lips and leaned back, grabbing the fabric of his black button down. She ripped it apart in one quick stroke before rejoining their lips. Elena was burning with anger and passion and Damon was her outlet, and she never wanted to stop._

Elena fell back on the chair and buried her face in her hands, breathing heavily.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" she whispered breathlessly.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to New Orleans. The weather today is sunny with a nice seventy degrees temperature. Hope you enjoy your stay and thank you for flying with us. We hope to catch you on the flip side," the extremely perky, almost-annoying flight attendant finished her spiel and Caroline sat up straighter in her seat. She pulled out her phone and turned it on. After a few moments, a bunch of texts and missed phone calls lit up Caroline's phone, causing for excessive buzzing.<p>

Caroline quickly went through her messages and responded.

_"Hey. How long you gonna be gone?"_ Elena asked.

Caroline texted back, _"Could be a little while. With Enzo in New Orleans. Don't wait up."_

Next, Caroline went to her messaging chain with her mom.

_"Caroline, please call me when you get this. Founder's Council business. I tried to call Stefan, but he didn't answer. Have you heard anything?"_

Caroline sighed and rolled her eyes before responding.

_"No, mom, I haven't. Stefan is playing this new game called 'leaving without a trace.' I'll call you in a second."_

Just then, her phone lit up with a response from Elena.

_"New Orleans, eh? I hear that's a romantic place this time of year," _Elena said, followed by an excessively long chain of winky-faces.

_"Get your head out of the gutter. We're here on business,"_ Caroline said. Elena's response was immediate this time.

_"What business?"_

_"Following the newest lead with Bonnie and Damon,"_ Caroline responded. There was a long silence before Elena responded again.

_"Find them," _was all she said, and Caroline could practically hear all the playfulness leave Elena's voice through the text.

_"We will,"_ Caroline promised.

Another few texts came in: two from Matt, one from Tyler, and one from her mom.

"If that phone of yours buzzes one more time, I'll bury it with my next meal," Enzo groaned from the seat next to Caroline. She pursed her lips and continued texting.

"Don't be a buzzkill just 'cause you don't have any friends," Caroline said, flashing him a sarcastic smile. "Pun intended."

Enzo leaned forward and plucked Caroline's phone out of her hands—Caroline narrowed her eyes at him.

"I did have friends, or rather, _a_ friend," Enzo said, "but he died. So, thanks for rubbing salt in that wound, darlin'," Enzo drawled half-joking, half-serious. "Plus, I'd rather have no friends than befriend that clingy little group of yours."

Caroline rolled her eyes at him and snatched back her phone before standing up and following the line exiting the plane. Enzo got up, grabbed their carry-ons and followed her.

"I had to check in on Elena," Caroline defended.

"Ah yes, my best friend's lovely widow," Enzo purred. "Now that she's not all 'Damon-centric' anymore…do you think she'd ever go for me?"

Caroline gritted her teeth and turned back, hitting Enzo on the chest. He stumbled back a step, brandishing his playfully smug smirk.

"I see why you and Damon got along so well. You're both asses," Caroline said, stomping out of the plane and into the airport. Enzo chuckled and followed her, handing her one of the bags he was holding.

"But we're hot asses. Right, love?" Enzo joked. Caroline narrowed her eyes at him. Enzo smiled back at her and ushered her out of the airport and into a waiting limo. The driver took their bags and opened the doors for them before driving away from the airport.

Caroline watched New Orleans pass in front of her eyes and her mind went back to all the times that Klaus tried to bring her here. He told her that the streets were filled with art and the culture of the city was to-die-for. And now, as Caroline eyed the city, she realized that she'd have to agree with him. New Orleans was beautiful. Still, Caroline got an uneasy feeling at the fact that she was in the same state as the Original Hybrid…yet again.

"Agh, let's get this over with as quickly as possible and get back home," Caroline huffed, pressing her head to the glass.

"What's the rush?" Enzo asked, letting out a little laugh. Caroline turned to face him. He outstretched his arms in a displaying gesture. "This city is absolutely marvelous."

"Yeah, well, let's just say that there are some people in this city that I'd rather avoid…meaning _never_ see again," Caroline said. She didn't know if she was lying—avoiding Klaus seemed like a brilliant idea for the greater good, but at the same time, part of her missed the scummy bastard; although she'd never admit it.

"Ah well, New Orleans is a big city. I doubt you'll run into said person," Enzo responded. Just then, the limo came to a halt outside of a bar on Bourbon Street. Caroline turned to Enzo as the driver got out of the car and came over to her side. He opened the door for her, but Caroline kept her eyes glued on Enzo.

"By my luck, he already knows I'm here," Caroline huffed. She began to scoot out of the car, picking up her purse off the ground on the way.

"Who is this person that's got you in such a fit, I wonder?" Enzo asked, sliding across the seat. Caroline stood up out of the car and looked down at Enzo as he made his way out.

"That would be me," a familiar voice said from behind Caroline. Caroline's throat constricted; she tightly squeezed her eyes shut before opening them and slowly turning on her heels to face her worst nightmare and greatest fantasy. Klaus stood at the door of the bar, a smug smile stretched across his cheeks. "Hello, Caroline."

* * *

><p>"Stay close to me," Damon whispered as he edged his way up the staircase.<p>

"I'm human, not five. I can take care of myself," Bonnie whispered back defiantly. Damon rolled his eyes at her stubbornness.

"Please don't put me in a situation where I have to explain to Elena why her best friend didn't make it back with me," Damon whispered.

"Please don't put _me_ in a situation where I have to explain to Elena that her boyfriend didn't make it back with me because he became too much of an annoying ass to stand," Bonnie said harshly. They reached the landing of the staircase and Damon abruptly lifted his hand to cut off Bonnie's words. She narrowed her eyes at the gesture, but stopped talking nonetheless. Damon pointed down the hallway to his bedroom.

There was a noise coming out of it. It was soft, barely noticeable (unless you were a vampire, which lucky for Damon, he was.) It sounded like someone was cleaning up shattered glass with a hand-held mini broom. Whoever it was was muttering to themselves.

Damon began slowly walking towards his room with quiet steps. Bonnie followed behind, carefully placing each step as to not make a single sound. Eventually, they reached the door to Damon's room. It was slightly ajar, the crack large enough for Damon to peek through.

Doubled-over a mess of shattered glass was a girl. She looked to be about seventeen and she was hurriedly sweeping the remnants of a once-beautiful vase into a small trash can with a mini hand-held broom.

She was mumbling to herself over and over again, "shoot, shoot, shoot, damn, crap, shit, damn, shoot."

Damon, assessing the girl as the opposite of a threat, pushed the door open and entered the room, causing for the girl to jump practically three-feet into the air. She dropped the bag of glass and it splayed all over the ground again. She looked down at the mess.

"Damn!" she exclaimed. Damon and Bonnie exchanged a look of pure confusion. This was not who they expected.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Damon asked. The girl sighed and put down the broom, walking over to Damon's bed and sitting on it.

"The name's Aubrey," she said, crossing her legs.

"Great, that answers one question. Now, what are you doing here?" Damon asked, crossing his arms in determination. Aubrey's eyes switched between Bonnie and Damon.

"Your name's Bonnie," Aubrey said, nodding towards Bonnie.

"Um, yeah, how did you—?"

"And you're Damon," Aubrey interrupted Bonnie and gestured towards Damon, "but you're not supposed to be here."

"Yeah, I hitched a ride," Damon responded.

"Ah, that explains a lot," Aubrey said with a little smile.

"What are you talking about? Why are you here?" Bonnie asked, stepping up next to Damon and crossing her arms like his.

"I'm here to get you out of, well, here," Aubrey said with a shrug as though she just stated some fact. Both Bonnie and Damon's hearts soared at Aubrey's sentence. Bonnie smiled widely and took another step into the room.

"How?"

"Wow, eager much?" Aubrey asked.

"It's been four months. Can you really blame us?" Damon responded sarcastically. "Now, how are you going to get us out of here?"

"I said I would get Bonnie out, not you," Aubrey said and the moment the words fell from her lips, Damon's heart sank. "Whether or not you get out of here is all up to our little friend here." Aubrey gestured towards Bonnie.

"Enough with the riddles; tell us what you're talking about," Bonnie said.

"Oh alright," Aubrey stated with disappointment. She stood up from the bed and took a few steps forward. "The reason you're living the same day over and over again is all Sheila's doing."

"Grams…" Bonnie whispered. Aubrey nodded before continuing.

"When the Other Side was destroyed, you were bound to be destroyed along with it. But, Sheila was determined to find peace for you. So, she stuck you in a time-loop to preserve you. And then, she sent me. I was supposed to come earlier, but the spirits had a little mix-up," Aubrey paused, looking towards Damon. "He's not supposed to be here."

"Yes, we established that. So, what?" Damon asked impatiently.

"So, everything changed! Don't you get that?! You're not supposed to be here, so the spirits had to find a middle-ground. The way this place works—the way _I _work—is by saving only those of the purest heart worthy of another chance at life. Bonnie was—is—guaranteed safe passage home. You, on the other hand, have the opposite of a pure heart!" Aubrey finished.

"So, what are you getting at? I can leave, but Damon has to stay?" Bonnie asked. The thought was surprisingly more terrifying than she figured it would be. She thought of her best friend, waiting at home for any sign of their return. Bonnie imagined returning to Elena, telling her that she couldn't save Damon, that he was trapped…forever. Bonnie shuddered.

"No," Aubrey said. Damon and Bonnie's heads both lifted a little higher at the new sign of hope. "The spirits have decided to give you a chance, Damon, a chance to prove yourself."

"Okay, fine. I'll do anything," Damon insisted, but Aubrey shook her head and _tsk_ed.

"There's a catch," Aubrey said.

"Of course there is," Damon muttered. Aubrey turned back to Bonnie.

"You have two options here, Bonnie. Number one, you come with me now and I'll take you back to the land of the living, and we leave Damon here. Number two, Damon takes the test to prove that he's worthy enough for a second chance at living. If he passes, both of you will return home," Aubrey paused. "If he fails, neither of you will _ever_ return home."

Bonnie felt suspended in time with the decision that lay before her.

"What kind of test would he have to pass?" Bonnie whispered weakly. Damon raised his eyebrows and turned to face her. _Is she really considering just leaving me here?_ Damon thought in shock.

"Three trials. We would ultimately enter his conscious and take a little stroll. Don't worry, you can accompany him all the way," Aubrey said.

Bonnie nodded and began thinking through her dilemma. Could she risk it? Could she risk being trapped an eternity, maybe even longer, in this time loop with Damon? Bonnie looked up at the blue-eyed, black-haired vampire who was uncharacteristically silent. He was holding his breath (metaphorically, of course.) Bonnie wracked her mind. Did she trust in Damon's buried goodness to pass those trials? Elena obviously saw the good in Damon where no one else did—she found him worthy. Why shouldn't Bonnie? Could she really just abandon him here? Could she return to Elena and Stefan, and tell them that she had a chance to save Damon, but she didn't want to risk it? No, she couldn't.

Bonnie straightened her posture and looked Aubrey straight in the eye.

"We'll do it," Bonnie said, grabbing Damon's hand and entwining their fingers in a friendly-manner. "He'll do it." Damon's shoulders relaxed and he tightened his grip on Bonnie's hand, thanking her (in his subtle way) for giving him a chance.

Aubrey shrugged and sighed.

"Your mistake," Aubrey said before snapping her fingers and everything went pitch black.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed this update. Let me know what you thought of it in the reviews! They're soooo appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

Caroline squirmed uncomfortably on the bar stool, glancing between Klaus and Enzo. Klaus was standing behind the bar, picking through the top-shelf amber liquors; Enzo was sitting next to her, leaning on the bar and giving her flirtatious looks. Caroline turned her gaze to Enzo; he wiggled his eyebrows at her and Caroline narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" She asked sassily.

"Want something to drink, love?" Enzo responded, gesturing to the vast collection of alcohol that Klaus was sifting through. Enzo's lips turned up into a smug smirk. "I bet you're the rozay type."

Caroline pursed her lips and glared at Enzo.

"Cocky much?" Caroline asked. Enzo ignored her and kept talking.

"Yeah, you're definitely the rozay type—it's a light, delicious wine with just a touch of purity that makes it that much more enticing." Enzo leaned forward until he was hovering above her ear. "Much like yourself in that sense, love." Enzo whispered.

A cold shiver ran down Caroline's spine. Enzo's breath tickled her neck and his words were teasing and flirty and so _damn annoying._ Caroline rolled her eyes and pushed him away with her elbow.

"Mmm," Klaus interjected, turning around to face them, "I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one." Enzo turned his gaze to Klaus; still brandishing his smug smirk that looked so much like Damon's used to.

"Ah, so the Original Hybrid has an opinion. Would he like to share with the group?" Enzo asked sarcastically. Klaus smirked and grabbed a bottle of dark red wine from under the bar. He placed it in front of Caroline.

"She's more of the red wine type," Klaus began, "tempting and delicious, tinted with darkness." Klaus stated, wickedly staring at Caroline even though his words were directed at Enzo. Caroline's eyes drifted down to Klaus's lips. She bit her bottom lip to keep her composure; the scene from half a year ago with Klaus in the forest rushed through her head. Caroline quickly shook herself from her nostalgia and narrowed her eyes at Klaus.

"Actually, both of you are wrong," Caroline said haughtily. "I'll take a beer." Klaus smirked at her and reached around his back, grabbing a beer and handing it to her. She took it and drank some of it. She placed it back on the bar and leaned on her elbows. "Now, let's get to it. Why are you here Klaus?"

"I live here, love. The more appropriate question is why are you here?" Klaus responded. Caroline looked at Enzo.

"That would be my doing," Enzo declared, taking a swig of bourbon. "We're looking for some friends."

"Bonnie and Damon," Klaus finished.

"How did—?"

"I've been keeping my tabs on Mystic Falls," Klaus interrupted Caroline. She nodded in understanding before taking another sip of beer.

"Then you also know that Elena had Alaric compel away her love for Damon," Caroline said. Klaus's eyes lit up and he pulled his lips up into a smug smile. Caroline cocked her head to the side; she recognized that look. It was the same look that Klaus had when he was the only one who knew that Elena was sired to Damon. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," Klaus said, looking down at the bar.

"No, no, no. Don't you pull that on me, Klaus. I know you. What are you hiding?" Caroline insisted. Klaus looked up at her with a knowing smile.

"Well, it's a big deal, compelling away a love like that," Klaus said, crossing his arms. "Some might even say it's impossible. How is my lovely doppelganger coping with the compulsion?"

Caroline thought back to that morning with Elena, about the dream Elena shared with her, and a light bulb went off in Caroline's brain. She sighed and shook her head.

"Of course," Caroline mumbled.

"Anyone care to clue me in?" Enzo drawled sarcastically, kicking his feet up onto the bar. Klaus and Caroline both turned to him.

"Elena still loves Damon; all that love has just been buried, not erased," Caroline explained. Klaus lifted his glass in mock cheers towards Caroline.

"It's only a matter of time before those floodgates come bursting open," Klaus continued.

"And all that grief…Elena would relive it all over again," Caroline said worriedly. "All the more reason to bring him back."

"Ah yes, back to the point," Enzo declared, sitting up straight in his seat. He stared down Klaus. "We hear you have some witches that might be able to help us."

"I do," Klaus said.

"But?" Caroline asked with a huff, knowing that there was always a price with Klaus.

"But I don't see why I should help you. I mean, what does it do for me?" Klaus asked with a shrug. Caroline tried to ignore the stab of pain that reached her heart—she didn't know what she expected. It was not like Klaus would suddenly be a different person now that they slept together. Caroline's good, but not _that_ good.

"Have you ever thought of doing something without expecting anything in return?" Caroline spat out, "or is that just a little too good for you?"

"I'm not good, love, you know that."

"Oh, I do. I know it a little more every day," Caroline said with a scoff. Klaus watched Caroline's disapproval and began to feel his hard façade crumbling. All it took for him to completely fall apart was her final words, barely audible: "I don't know why I keep trying with you."

Klaus's smug smile faltered on his cheeks and his eyes turned sincere.

"My witches are already working on it," Klaus said.

Caroline looked up from the bar, feeling a rush of excitement hit her. Klaus was already helping. Klaus was doing the right thing without expecting anything in return. Klaus was being somewhat decent.

"And?" Caroline asked, attempting to hide her bubbling-over joy.

"And Bonnie and Damon are already _en route_. My witches are simply making sure they land in the right place. Here," Klaus responded, tapping on the bar. He leaned forward on his elbows and gently placed his hand on Caroline's. She looked down at the gesture and back up at his eyes. A small smile twitched onto his cheeks. "Your friends are coming home, Caroline. I promise you."

* * *

><p>The darkness faded quickly and was replaced by a bright, blinding light. Damon couldn't see a thing, but he could hear Bonnie's voice in the distance like an echo.<p>

"Where are we?" she asked.

"You think I know?" Damon responded sarcastically.

"Why can't I see you?" Bonnie asked.

"Eh, witchy, I know as much as you do, okay?" Damon sneered.

"We could do without the sarcasm," Bonnie responded with a scoff. Her voice was closer to him now—directly next to him to be exact.

"Wait—," Damon said. His arm darted out to the side where he heard Bonnie's voice and collided with her soft skin. Bonnie jumped at the contact.

"Ow! Jackass," she muttered.

"Sorry," Damon said haphazardly. He grabbed what-must-have-been Bonnie's shoulder out of fear of losing their connection in the blinding light.

"Do you—?" Bonnie began, but her voice broke. She inhaled deeply to steady herself before speaking again, "do you think we're dead?"

Suddenly, a third voice sounded from behind them: "oh come on, this isn't death."

Damon and Bonnie spun around so quickly they almost lost their footing, but they were able to catch their balance before falling. Standing directly in front of them was Aubrey. She was very clearly defined against the white backdrop. Damon looked to his side and to his relief he was able to see Bonnie in full visibility. He sighed audibly and mussed up her hair; Bonnie squirmed and ducked out of his reach, glaring up at Damon. He laughed at her reaction.

"If we're not dead, then where are we?" Bonnie asked Aubrey, turning her glaring gaze away from Damon.

"I told you: three trials. This," Aubrey extended her arms in a displaying gesture and spun around, "is just the calm before the storm. I think we'll call it 'home base.' Yes, I quite like the ring of that. Oh! Or maybe 'the eye of the storm.' I quite like that, too—."

"Aubrey!"

"Right, sorry," Aubrey said, bowing her head apologetically at the witch and the vampire.

"So what do I have to do?" Damon asked, growing impatient.

"The witches—nature, actually—needs proof that you're worthy enough to live. So dramatic, right?" Aubrey sneered, "But, anyways! There are certain things that they need to try you on." Aubrey walked over to Damon and grabbed his hands, cradling them in her own. She looked back up at him with an almost-fearful look in her eyes. She lowered her voice to a whisper, "this isn't going to be easy, Damon. They are going to dig through your mind and root up your worst nightmares. They are going to torture you with your own thoughts. They are going to ask you to fight your inner darkness, your deepest vampire instincts. Do you think you can do that? I can give you one last out—right here, right now. But, you have to tell me."

Damon's eyes searched the face of his spirit-guide-creature-thingy and gave her one quick nod, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"I can do this," he said with determination.

"And what about me?" Bonnie asked. "What can I do to help?"

"You can follow him through his trials," Aubrey said, letting go of Damon's hands and turning to Bonnie. "I can't promise that he'll always see you. After all, he needs to prove that he is good at heart without any outside interference. He needs to prove that he has a conscience," Aubrey said, turning back to Damon with a smile. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Conscience shows itself in interesting ways," Aubrey said, tapping Damon on the head. He sneered and drew back. Aubrey chuckled and gave the two one last look before saying, "good luck," and snapping her fingers.

The scene changed dramatically. Everything was no longer blank and white; in fact, they were standing in a familiar place—the hallway of the Salvatore Boarding House.

"Oh God, seriously? Here again?" Damon asked begrudgingly. Bonnie shrugged and looked around.

"Let's just find out what the trial is and get out of here," Bonnie said. Damon nodded in agreement. His eyes scanned the landscape, searching for anything out of place. Everything was exactly where he left it.

"What do you think—?" Damon's voice is cut off by the sound of a familiar feminine laugh coming from the living room. Damon and Bonnie both gasped and turned to the opening of the living room. They were stunned in place. It's been so long—too damn long—since they've heard that laugh. It was music to Damon's ears.

"Stefan! Stop!" the person exclaimed, giggling again.

"Elena," Damon whispered in shock. Just then, the brunette doppelganger came running into view, followed by Damon's baby brother.

"You keep running from me, the more I want you!" Stefan exclaimed with a chuckle. He ran up to Elena and wrapped his arms around her before she could run off again. She burst into a fit of giggles and collapsed against his chest in defeat.

"No," Damon whispered, shaking his head, but he was unable to tear his eyes from the scene as the couple joined lips and melted into a kiss.

"Damon," Bonnie said sympathetically, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Damon!" Elena gasped, pulling away from Stefan and turning to face the older Salvatore.

"Elena," Damon responded almost robotically.

"Damon, there's something I need to tell you," Elena said, stepping closer to Damon.

"Damon," Bonnie whispered, "what is this?" Damon watched as the woman he loved approached him, her fingers still entwined with his brothers' and it dawned on him exactly what this trial was.

"It's my worst nightmare," Damon whispered. His heart clenched in his chest. He inhaled deeply before stepping away from Bonnie and approaching Stefan and Elena. He knew he couldn't run away; he had to pass the trial.

"Damon, I'm sorry, but I can't be with you anymore," Elena said with determination. Her cold words washed over him and stabbed him in the heart.

"Why?" Damon choked out. In the back of his mind, he knew it was all just an illusion, but it all seemed so real. He was getting caught up in it.

"I fell in love with your brother, obviously. I mean, I always really loved him. You were nothing but a little experiment," Elena said, bursting into laughter. Damon's heart clenched and he squeezed his eyes tightly; a tear slid down his cheek. The woman he loved was laughing at him.

"Don't sa—say that," Damon said heartbrokenly. "You don't mean it."

"Of course I mean it!" Elena exclaimed. "You were sickening! The worst boyfriend I've ever had! So evil and reckless! I can't believe I slept with you! I can't believe I told you I loved you! It was all a lie!"

"Elena, stop," Damon demanded, but she ignored him. In the background, Bonnie was yelling at Damon, telling him it was all just an illusion, but he couldn't hear her. He was officially swept up in the nightmare; it had become his reality.

"No, Damon. You know what?! I won't stop because _you_ won't stop! You won't stop chasing me and following me around with those puppy-dog-moon-eyes! We know that the only way we'll ever be happy is if we're rid of you!" Elena spat out. She tore her hand from Stefan's and ripped off her daylight ring, throwing it to the ground. She grabbed Stefan's hand and did the same. Together, they walked to the window and each grabbed one side of the curtain that was blocking the sunlight.

"ELENA! NO!" Damon shouted. She looked back at him and turned her nose up in disgust before pressing her lips to Stefan tenderly. She broke the kiss.

"I love you," Elena whispered.

"I love you too," Stefan whispered back.

"Now we can be happy," Elena said, "without that monster of a brother of yours." A happy tear slid down her cheek.

"ELENA! STOP!" Damon shouted. He tried to run towards them, but they pulled back the curtain, allowing for light to flood the room. He listened as their happiness was swallowed by their screams. Their bodies burst into flames. Damon screamed in agony as he watched the two people he loved most die. Hot tears ran down his cheeks and he sunk to his knees in defeat, cradling his head in his hand. He began to rock back and forth.

He didn't know how long he had sat there like that. He completely forgot about the trials—everything seemed so real. As far as he was concerned, this was his reality. A whimper escaped his throat. He felt like he was dying, and he was about ready to give up when he felt a familiar feather-light pressure on his shoulder blade.

Damon's head shot up and through his tears he saw the one person he dreaded, but needed to see. Elena was standing over him; sympathy etched onto her features. She slowly lowered to her knees in front of him and ran her hand down his cheek, wiping away his tears. He gasped—he could feel her.

"You died," he choked out.

"Shh, baby," Elena said, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him into a hug. He collapsed against her and broke out into sobs. She stroked his hair and pressed her lips to his temple tenderly. Damon wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body.

"Bu—but," Damon began.

"No, Damon," Elena whispered. "I'd never leave you for Stefan. I love you, Damon, _you_, not him. Never forget it. I'm yours completely."

"What's going on?" he whimpered. He was completely unhinged by the uncomfortably realistic nightmare.

"You're coming back to me, baby. You're keeping your promise. It was all just a test, and you passed. You faced your greatest fear and your love won out. Stay strong. Please. For me. Don't give up. I'm always here for you," Elena whispered comfortingly, pressing her palm to his heart. "I'm always here."

Damon pulled away and looked up at the woman he loved. He stroked her cheek and she closed her eyes in comfort, leaning into his touch.

"Thank you," Damon whispered, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. He inhaled her scent, the scent that he missed so much. A single tear fell down his cheek. He broke the kiss, his eyes still closed. "Thank you for being my strength."

"Conscience is more like it," Elena said with a chuckle. They opened their eyes and locked chocolate brown with cobalt blue. Elena pecked him on the lips once more. "Now get back to it. I'm waiting for you."

And just like that, she disappeared. Damon sighed and looked at the threshold of the living room to find Bonnie, watching him with her mouth agape. He flashed her his unwavering cocky smirk and stood up quickly.

"You saw her too?" Damon asked. Bonnie nodded slowly. Damon's smirk turned into a genuine smile. "Good…so, round two?"

"Round two," Bonnie agreed, still shocked by the little scene she just witnessed.

* * *

><p>Elena jumped out of the car and threw off her sundress to expose an adorable blue bikini. She skipped down to swimming hole where groups of college students were diving into the water and sunbathing on the surrounding beaches. Her eyes scanned the crowd, searching for familiar faces.<p>

A group of college girls walked past. One was telling a story to the others' in a very annoying valley girl accent: "And then she was like 'he's my boyfriend' and I was like 'God, can't you share? You selfish bitch!'"

_ "I just have to say it, just once, you just need to hear it. I love you, Elena. And it's because I love you, I can't be selfish with you. And you can't know this. I don't deserve you, but my brother does."_

_He pressed his lips to her brow; Elena was taken aback by the pure amount of emotion that flowed through her, emotion she shouldn't be having for her boyfriend's brother. But, dammit, she did. And in that moment, she only knew one thing—Damon loved her, and she felt something more than hate, more than like, for him._

Elena gasped and shook her head violently to shake the premonition (?) memory (?) daydream (?).

"Elena, are you okay?" Stefan's voice sounded from beside her. Elena jumped and gasped, turning to find Stefan who was watching her with his brow furrowed in worry.

"Oh my God, Stefan! You scared me!" Elena said, falling into his arms and giving him a tight hug. He laughed and hugged her back. She pulled away and looked up at him. "It's been too long."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Stefan said.

"No, it's okay. I get it. I mean, you lost your brother…" Elena trailed off, wishing she hadn't brought up such a sensitive subject. Stefan's eyes fell to the ground.

"Can we please not talk about Damon?" Stefan asked hesitantly. Elena sighed because no matter how much she wished she could rid herself of everything Damon-related, obviously she couldn't, but she sure-as-hell wasn't going to tell Stefan that she was unintentionally daydreaming of loving his brother.

"Of course," Elena said with a beaming smile. She grabbed his hand and began dragging him towards the booze table. "Tonight is about letting go and having fun…enjoying each other's company…complete and utter freedom." Elena handed Stefan three Jell-O shots, and took three for herself.

"Here's to letting go and having fun," Stefan said, throwing back a shot. Elena followed suit.

"Here's to enjoying each other's company," Elena said. The two vampires took another shot.

"And here's to complete and utter freedom!" Stefan shouted. Elena laughed and lifted her shot in the air.

"COMPLETE AND UTTER FREEDOM!" she repeated, tossing back the shot.

_"You want a love that consumes you. You want passion, adventure, and even a little danger," Damon's velvety voice echoed through Elena's head. She was so intrigued by this mysterious, dark, and handsome stranger lying in the middle of the road. She watched his lips—his deliciously pink lips, hypnotizing with each syllable._

_"And what do you want, mysterious stranger with all the answers?" Elena asked. She was flirting, actually flirting._

_"I want you to find everything you're looking for in life, but first, I want you to forget this ever happened…"_

Elena dropped the Jell-O shot cup and braced herself against the table, breathing heavily. She was sick of being plagued with these…things… They were confusing her.

"Elena, are you okay?" Stefan asked worriedly. Elena inhaled deeply before putting on a big fake smile.

"Of course!" she said with a laugh. "Now c'mon," Elena leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper, "I wanna get completely wasted."

Stefan laughed and rolled his eyes, but nonetheless, handed her three more shots which she downed quickly.

The rest of the party went by in a blur. Stefan and her had connected and disconnected multiple times throughout the evening. It was fun. It was a great party. Still, Elena was haunted. Eventually, people began to leave the party and it was time for Elena and Stefan to leave too.

Elena drunkenly stumbled up to Stefan and slung her arm around his shoulder.

"Hey there, bu—buddy," Elena said with a hiccup. She giggled.

"Hey there," Stefan responded. He was way more sober. "Let's get you home."

He continued to carry her to her car and drive her to campus. He walked her up to her dorm, making sure that she made it safely to the bed. He flung her onto the mattress and looked her over—she seemed to be totally out of it. Little did he know, Elena was lost in another erased-memory of Damon.

_"I thought I would never see you again…and I couldn't think of a worst way to die."_

Elena came back to reality and shot up in bed. She looked up to find Stefan staring down at her with a furrowed brow. She couldn't take it anymore—these premonition thingies were driving her mad. They were confusing, they were stressful, they made her feel things she shouldn't feel, and every day, they got worse.

Elena blinked tears out of her eyes and tried her hardest to focus on Stefan through her drunk goggles.

"Stefan," she mumbled, grabbing his hand and yanking him down to the mattress. He fell on top of her and searched her face.

"Elena…what are you doing?" Stefan asked hesitantly. Elena was experimenting. She was sick of having these weird visions of Damon—they were wrong, and she had to make them right. Without any warning, Elena pulled Stefan into a kiss, wrapping her long legs around his lean waist.

Stefan tried to pull away, but she kept him pinned to her body. Eventually, Stefan was able to break the kiss.

"What are you doing?!" Stefan demanded breathlessly. Elena shook her head and let the tears slip from between her eyelashes. She pulled him back to her lips.

"I just—I just need to feel _right_ again," Elena whispered against his lips with a sob. Before Stefan could respond, Elena pulled him back to her lips and kissed him roughly.

"You're drunk," Stefan said, pulling away.

"No, no, I'm not," Elena whispered. And it was true. The alcohol had worn off. She kissed him again, "I want this, Stefan. Please. I need this."

"Why?" Stefan asked. Elena just shook her head and pulled him back into a kiss—she needed to feel something, _anything, _for Stefan again; she needed to stop these visions; she needed to stop feeling so guilty for her uncalled-for emotions for Damon.

Every part of Stefan's morality was fighting him, but Elena wasn't. Elena wanted this, and he had to remind himself that she was no longer his brother's girl—she erased that part of her past. Eventually, Stefan's desires won out and he melted into the kiss.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it took so long to update. I got swamped! I made this chapter twice as long as an apology. I hope you enjoyed and don't worry, I know it seems like a lot of Stelena, but _this story is 110% a Delena fanfic. _Hope you enjoyed the update and let me know what you thought! :D  
><strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: That last chapter ending got a big reaction out of you all which is expected and good. Did I expect people to be okay with it? No, because it's wrong on so many levels and I did that very intentionally. What kind of reaction did I expect from my readers by that ending? Rage and hurt and confusion; basically, just a lot of emotions. And some of you might hate me for that, and sorry, but there's a reason behind everything I do. Thank you for reading and reviewing and I hope this chapter clears up a lot of open ended questions. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><em>They looked up at the sky and the rain started falling with the stars. Elena let out a quick laugh and looked over to Damon. He smiled at her and grabbed her arm, trying to usher her back to the car.<em>

_"Come on, time to abandon ship," he said. Elena shook her head._

_"No, no, no, wait," Elena said, looking back up at the sky. "Just give it a second; it'll clear up."_

_Damon smiled at her and leaned in for a kiss, holding her hands in his own. The moment his lips cushioned hers, warmth erupted from her stomach and spread down her arms, across her chest, up to her cheeks. She grabbed him and pulled him closer, needing only him. They broke the kiss. Elena stared into the cesspools of his beautiful blue eyes and she knew that she would never find a love like this again; she reveled in the feeling of pure freedom and belonging that he gave her. She knew she could never let him go._

_"Promise me this is forever," Elena said over the sound of the rain._

_"I promise," Damon said with his gorgeous half-smile. They rejoined lips. She was so content; she finally found him—her soul mate._

Elena jolted up in bed, flinging the blue blanket off of her as she did so. She looked around; she was alone in her bed, but sitting next to her on a chair was Stefan. She looked down; her body was still clad in the sundress she was wearing at the party yesterday.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Stefan asked her. Elena buried her head in her hands.

"Yes. No. Maybe," Elena sighed. "I don't know." She peered up at him shyly from under her long eyelashes and gulped before she spoke again, "did we—?"

"No," Stefan said, moving off the chair and sitting on the edge of her bed. Stefan was undeniably tempted last night, but he couldn't do that to Damon or Elena. Elena sighed in relief at his words; she didn't know what she would do if she went through with her drunken experiment. She was such a mess last night.

"What happened?"

"I told you that I couldn't do it, and then you cried for about an hour and passed out," Stefan said with a shrug. Elena nodded and toyed with the fabric of the sheet.

"Thank you for not—," Elena inhaled deeply and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Elena, last night you told me that you needed to 'feel right again,'" Stefan said, leaning forward. "What's going on with you? Why do you feel wrong?"

Elena looked up at Stefan and hesitated before responding. Could she really tell Stefan about her weird visions of his brother? She sighed; she knew that she would have to tell him eventually, so why not now?

"That's the thing. I don't feel wrong, _they _don't feel wrong. In fact, they feel really _really_ right. Ugh," Elena grunted, running her fingers through her hair. "I just know that they should feel wrong, but no matter how hard I try, they don't feel wrong. They feel great and I can't get rid of them!"

Stefan furrowed his brow at her in complete and utter confusion.

"What are you talking about, Elena?" Stefan asked. Elena sighed.

"I'm having these weird…dreams and visions…" Elena nibbled on her bottom lip, "of Damon."

The universe seemed to slow down a bit for Stefan; he could hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears; his mouth went dry.

"Damon?" he choked out, trying to sound completely normal. Elena nodded at him. He bit his bottom lip. "What kind of 'visions?'"

"I know this sounds crazy, but in my visions, Damon and I are together…like together-together."

"Like dating?" Stefan asked, trying to maintain his collected façade. Elena nodded.

"And they aren't just like dreams, although I do dream about it too. They're like memories."

"Memories?" Stefan asked with a wavering voice. Elena nodded again. Stefan literally bit his tongue to refrain from telling her everything. He couldn't be around her like this. Stefan stood up abruptly and began walking to the door with long strides.

"Where are you going?!" Elena asked, jumping up after him.

"I have to go," Stefan responded, vamp-speeding out of the dorm and into his red Porsche. Elena started to chase after him, but she stopped when she heard him rev up the engine and disappear down the highway. She sighed and slumped back down to her bed.

"Well, I guess I'm not getting any help from him," she muttered to herself.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you slept with him," Enzo whispered to Caroline as they followed Klaus into the back of the bar.<p>

"I can't believe you're still talking," Caroline whispered back harshly.

"Why don't you shut me up, darlin'?" Enzo said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She slapped him on the shoulder and picked up her pace until she was walking in stride with Klaus. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and then turned his gaze ahead again.

"So Caroline, how are things with dear Tyler?" Klaus asked smugly. "Is he still the love of your life?"

"No, no thanks to you," Caroline replied haughtily.

"Don't you ever get tired of blaming me for everything, love?" Klaus asked, turning to look at her. "If I remember correctly, it wasn't only me doing all the work in that forest."

"That was a mistake, and we are never going to talk about it again," Caroline responded quickly.

"Ah, but it was a fun mistake, wasn't it?" Klaus asked teasingly.

"I remember you promising that I would never see you again," Caroline said. "What happened to that?"

"Can't blame me for that one either, love. It was _you_ who showed up on _my _doorstep."

"I blame Enzo for that," Caroline mumbled. Klaus smirked and opened the door to the backroom of the bar; he placed his hand on Caroline's lower back to guide her into the office. She did her best to hate the feeling of his hand, but part of her loved it.

Enzo followed the two into the room. It was cramped, Caroline barely had enough space to turn around and when she did, she bumped straight into Enzo. He smirked down at her; their chests were pressed together and his lips were hovering uncomfortably close to hers.

Just then, Caroline's phone rang in her pocket, breaking the tension. She internally thanked God for the excuse to leave. She grabbed the phone from her pocket and clicked the 'answer' button without looking at the screen and backed into the corner farthest away from Enzo and Klaus.

"Did you know that Elena is having visions of loving Damon?" Stefan's voice sounded. Caroline looked up at Klaus who smiled at her with that 'told-you-so' smirk. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, hello to you too," Caroline responded to Stefan.

"Caroline," Stefan said exasperatedly.

"Okay, fine, yes, I know she's dreaming of him," Caroline responded.

"And you didn't tell me?" Stefan asked.

"Uh, no, I didn't because if you want to be updated, you should try this little thing called 'communication,'" Caroline responded snarkily. She was so upset with Stefan recently. "And how did you even know that?!"

"I went to a party with her last night. She told me this morning."

"This morning?" Caroline asked, raising her eyebrows. "Are you serious, Stefan?! She's not even herself! A entire year of her life has been erased from her mind—the year she left you for your brother!"

"Caroline! We didn't sleep together!"

"Oh," Caroline said, feeling a little embarrassed for jumping to conclusions. Of course Stefan wouldn't do something like that. He may be acting like a total ass, but he was still a good man at the core.

"What do we do?" Stefan asked quietly.

"Nothing," Caroline responded. "There's nothing we can do."

"But, what if the compulsion breaks? She'll be dangerous again."

"That's assuming that we don't get Damon back in time," Caroline said. There was a long silence on the other end before Stefan responded.

"I tried everything—."

"Obviously not, Stefan, because right now, I'm in New Orleans with Enzo and we are following a pretty good lead."

"New Orleans? But Klaus—."

"Is here, and he's helping."

"How?" Stefan asked. Just then, there was a soft rumbling at the door. Klaus walked over to the door and opened it. A woman carrying a box filled with candles, grimoires, and salt stepped across the threshold. Klaus smirked at her and then turned to Caroline.

"With her," Klaus said, answering Stefan's question.

* * *

><p>"Congrats," Aubrey said, pacing back and forth a couple times before stopping to look at Bonnie and Damon. They were all back in the place of white nothingness, 'home base' as Aubrey so beautifully put it.<p>

"Thanks," Damon said.

"I must admit, I thought you were gonna fail that one. And then when Elena manifested, I knew you passed."

"Yeah, yeah, we all saw it happen. Let's not talk about it. What's the next trial?" Damon asked.

"So eager. I thought you'd be begging for a way out," Aubrey said, popping her hip and placing her hand on it.

"Yeah? Well, you don't know me," Damon insisted, crossing his arms. "What's the next trial?"

"Fine. Your metaphorical funeral," Aubrey said with a shrug before snapping her fingers. She disappeared immediately and the landscape changed drastically. This time they were in the forest outside of Mystic Falls. Damon stepped forward hesitantly and looked around.

"Damon," Bonnie said, "do you…want to talk about the last tri—?"

"You're my friend, not my therapist," Damon interrupted. Bonnie rolled her eyes at his distancing mechanism, but nonetheless, a small smile flitted across her cheeks.

"I'm sorry, I'm your—what?" Bonnie asked jokingly. "Did you just say I'm your friend?"

Damon looked down at her with an annoyed expression; she playfully slapped him on the shoulder. Damon opened his mouth to make some sassy remark when a rustling came from the bushes. Damon and Bonnie both turned to the bushes. Damon was perched for attack.

Suddenly, it felt like his throat was on fire. He felt completely drained of energy; it was like his veins were completely dried up. Damon instantly recognized the feeling—it was as though he had been deprived of blood for days. Damon looked down: his body was covered in dried blood where cuts had obviously healed over. Damon felt like he had just been tortured.

"Bonnie," Damon whispered weakly as he fell to his knees. Bonnie looked down at him with worry.

"Damon?!" Bonnie shouted, trying to reach forward to help him up, but as she reached forward, she found that she couldn't touch him. She had been cut off from Damon in this trial just like she had with the last one.

Damon couldn't even think about Bonnie—the pain was too excruciating. He needed to feed. The bushes rustled again; Damon's head popped up and he tried to focus his blurry vision on the bushes. The bushes rustled a third time before a figure emerged from the bushes. Damon couldn't make out the figure immediately, but as she approached him, she became visible.

Elena sunk to her knees in front of Damon and grabbed his shoulders, trying to hoist him up.

"Damon," she grunted, struggling with his weight. Damon could hear her blood calling to him; in this trial, Elena was human again. "Come on. You've lost a lot of blood."

"Elena," Damon's voice came out rough and gravelly. "What—what are you doing?"

"Helping you. Rebekah had you for days, torturing you," Elena said, trying to hoist his body up again, but he was too weak. He fell to the forest ground, causing for a bunch of dust to fly up. Elena and Damon coughed a couple times before breathing evenly. "I'm so sorry I didn't come earlier. I wanted to; I just—are you okay? Come on. We have to go."

"Can't," Damon whispered hoarsely. "Too weak." Elena tried to pull him up one more time before grunting in defeat and slumping to the ground. Damon fell against her chest and she pushed him up to look at her. She yanked back the sleeve of her coat and held her wrist up to his lips.

"Here, Damon. Drink," she said, pushing her wrist closer to his lips. Damon felt the veins bubble beneath his eyes and his fangs elongated. He could feel her pulse throbbing below his lips, hypnotizing her, and he opened his mouth. He dug his fangs into her wrist and her blood poured into his mouth. He began gulping down the sweet elixir.

Damon had always prided himself on his self-control when it comes to human blood, but there was something about Elena's blood that was straight-up intoxicating. As it poured into his throat, he felt himself losing control. He dug his teeth deeper into her skin and her blood flowed faster into his mouth. A whimper escaped from Elena's throat and she dropped her head onto his shoulder as he took the blood.

Damon wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She tasted so sweet, so satisfying. He'd never had this kind of reaction to human blood before; he felt his control slipping away from him. He wondered if this is how Stefan felt as the ripper. Eventually, all rational thought escaped him and he got lost in Elena's blood. He knew he was taking too much; he wanted to stop, but he couldn't. He was just so…thirsty.

"Damon," Elena whimpered against Damon's neck, squirming uncomfortably in his grip. She tried to pry her wrist away, but he grabbed her wrist and held her to his lips. "Damon please! You're hur—hurting me!" Damon growled against her skin and wrapped his legs around her waist, gripping her wrist painfully hard. "Damon! Stop!" Elena shouted.

The sound of her shouts broke Damon from his trance. He quickly pulled away from Elena; she slumped backwards, but Damon caught her head before she could fall back entirely. She was weak; he'd taken too much. Panic struck Damon and he shook her gently.

"Elena?! Elena?!" he shouted worriedly. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit into it. He brought his blood to her lips. She didn't respond. "Elena! Elena, please drink. I'm sorry. Elena!" He shook her once again. Elena slowly dropped her jaw and began drinking Damon's blood. He watched as the wound on her wrist healed. Eventually, she slumped forward and curled up to his chest. Damon wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips to the crown of her head. "Thank God," he whispered, shutting his eyes. He sat like that for a little while, just holding her when suddenly, Bonnie's voice broke the silence.

"You did it," Bonnie said, stepping up to Damon and grabbing his shoulder; that's when Damon noticed that Elena had disappeared. His head snapped up and he looked at Bonnie. She smiled at him, "you fought your blood lust. You passed."

* * *

><p>Alaric had just finished packing up from his Occult class when one of his student's walked into the classroom. She was pretty with vibrant red hair and gentle green eyes.<p>

"Professor Saltzman?" she asked, walking further into the room.

"Alice," Ric said, looking up from his briefcase. "What can I help you with?"

"I was just wondering if I could get the PowerPoint from yesterday's class? I was out sick," she requested innocently. Ric smiled at her and picked up his coffee mug, taking a sip from it.

"Of course," Ric said.

"Thanks," she responded, shuffling her feet. "You can just email it to me." Ric nodded at her. She fidgeted with her hands and that was when Alaric smelt it—blood. It wasn't a lot, just a paper cut on her fingertip; nonetheless, Alaric wasn't the best at self-control. He tightened his grip on the coffee mug; he held it so hard, in fact, that it shattered. Alice jumped at the noise and walked over to the desk.

"Oh my God!" she said. "Let me help with that!" She reached for the broken glass.

"No, no, that's okay," Ric insisted, but it was already too late. Alice had grabbed a large piece of glass and it had cut into her skin. Ric could smell the blood pour from the deep cut on her hand and his vampire face took over—fangs elongated and veins bubbled beneath his eyes. Alice looked up at him and gasped, taking a few hurried steps away from him, but he ran up to her before she could escape.

"Please don't hurt me!" she whimpered.

"Leave!" Alaric shouted, compelling her. She ran out of the classroom. Ric took a few deep breaths to center himself before he walked back to his desk. That was when his phone rang. Alaric looked at the screen and saw Liz Forbes's face flash onto it.

"Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Ric, thank God," Liz said. "I haven't been able to get ahold of anyone. We have a problem."

"What?"

"Looks like the founder council's back in full swing in Mystic Falls. They've been kidnapping vampires and driving them over the border," Liz explained. Ric furrowed his brow at the troubling news.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Nothing, just be aware. Warn Caroline and Elena and Stefan. The council is all-too-aware of outside vampire activities. They're watching Whitmore closely. Try to keep your vampirism on the down low. Do you think you can do that?" Liz asked. Ric sighed exasperatedly as he thought back to Alice—he never compelled her to forget to little incident.

"Uh, it might be a little too late for that," he said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hope you enjoyed this update. Thanks for reading. Please review.**


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